The second phase of the Care Companion Programme in all medical and surgical care units of district hospitals for in-patient care was launched by Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister on July 2.

Sidhu said through the programme relatives of the patients would be trained on how to care for their loved ones while in hospital so that patients have a smoother transition and better outcomes at home. This would result in healthy behaviour like a healthy diet, exercise, hygiene and is aimed at decreasing post-discharge complications.

Sidhu said due to its success, this simple yet powerful programme is being expanded to other areas of patient care through the Department of Health and Family Welfare. He said that being the pioneering state in the country for this type of initiative, Punjab is showing how a simple programme that engages families in their own health can improve the health outcomes of patients across the state.

The Special Secretary Health and Mission Director National Health Mission, said the programme is aimed at improving patient outcome through better patient-family caregiver engagement and training. He said the flagship programme was launched in 2017 in the area of Maternal Child Health. After a successful pilot, the programme was expanded in September 2018 across all the districts of the state.

Under this programme, more than 60,000 family members have been trained till date. He said that the programme has shown impressive results, including an increase in the number of families practicing correct health behaviour at home and a decrease in severe complications after medical treatment.